Weymouth and Melcombe Regis | |
---|---|
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
1570–1885 | |
Seats | four (1570–1832), two (1832–1885) |
Replaced by | South Dorset |
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the English House of Commons, later in that of Great Britain, and finally in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Union of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis Act 1571 (13 Eliz. 1. c. 9) which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. Until 1832, the combined borough continued to elect the four Members of Parliament (MPs) to which its constituent parts had previously been entitled; the Great Reform Act reduced its representation to two Members, and the constituency was abolished altogether in 1885, becoming part of the new South Dorset constituency.
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Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1832 | Sir Frederick Johnstone | Tory [22] | Fowell Buxton | Whig [22] | ||
1834 | Conservative [22] | |||||
1835 | William Burdon | Whig [22] | ||||
1837 | Viscount Villiers | Conservative [22] | George William Hope | Conservative [22] | ||
1842 [25] | Ralph Bernal | Whig [22] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] | William Dougal Christie | Whig [31] [22] [30] | ||
August 1847 | William Freestun | Whig [31] | ||||
December 1847 | Hon. Frederick Child Villiers | Conservative | ||||
1852 | George Butt | Conservative | ||||
1857 | Robert Campbell | Whig [32] | ||||
1859 | Robert Brooks | Conservative | Viscount Grey de Wilton | Conservative | ||
1865 | Henry Gridley | Liberal | ||||
1867 | Henry Edwards | Liberal | ||||
1868 | Charles J. T. Hambro | Conservative | ||||
1874 | Sir Frederick Johnstone | Conservative | ||||
1885 | Constituency abolished |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Fowell Buxton | Unopposed | |||
Tory | John Gordon | Unopposed | |||
Tory | Masterton Ure | Unopposed | |||
Tory | Edward Sugden | Unopposed | |||
Whig hold | |||||
Tory hold | |||||
Tory hold | |||||
Tory hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Richard Weyland | 14 | 23.7 | ||
Tory | Masterton Ure | 13 | 22.0 | ||
Tory | John Gordon | 13 | 22.0 | ||
Whig | Fowell Buxton | 13 | 22.0 | ||
Tory | Michael Prendergast | 2 | 3.4 | ||
Whig | Henry William Tancred | 2 | 3.4 | ||
Whig | Thomas Bulkeley | 2 | 3.4 | ||
Turnout | c. 15 | c. 2.1 | |||
Registered electors | c. 700 | ||||
Majority | 1 | 1.7 | |||
Whig gain from Tory | |||||
Majority | 0 | 0.0 | |||
Tory hold | |||||
Tory hold | |||||
Majority | 11 | 18.6 | |||
Whig hold |
Weyland was also elected for Oxfordshire and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | Charles Baring Wall | 425 | 72.0 | +24.6 | |
Whig | Michael Prendergast | 165 | 28.0 | −24.5 | |
Majority | 260 | 44.0 | +44.0 | ||
Turnout | 590 | c. 84.3 | c. +82.2 | ||
Registered electors | c. 700 | ||||
Tory gain from Whig | Swing | +24.6 |
Representation reduced to two members.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Fowell Buxton | 238 | 28.3 | +2.1 | |
Tory | Frederick Johnstone | 215 | 25.5 | +1.8 | |
Whig | William Burdon | 214 | 25.4 | −0.9 | |
Tory | George Bankes | 176 | 20.9 | −2.8 | |
Turnout | 431 | 90.7 | c. +88.6 | ||
Registered electors | 475 | ||||
Majority | 23 | 2.8 | +1.1 | ||
Whig hold | Swing | +1.3 | |||
Majority | 1 | 0.1 | +0.1 | ||
Tory hold | Swing | +0.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Fowell Buxton | 268 | 40.8 | +12.5 | |
Whig | William Burdon | 239 | 36.4 | +11.0 | |
Conservative | George Child Villiers | 150 | 22.8 | −23.6 | |
Majority | 89 | 13.6 | +10.8 | ||
Turnout | c. 329 | c. 63.4 | c. −27.3 | ||
Registered electors | 518 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | +12.2 | |||
Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +11.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Child Villiers | 291 | 31.6 | +20.2 | |
Conservative | George William Hope | 268 | 29.1 | +17.7 | |
Whig | Fowell Buxton | 211 | 22.9 | −17.9 | |
Whig | George Stephen | 151 | 16.4 | −20.0 | |
Majority | 57 | 6.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 481 | 81.7 | c. +18.3 | ||
Registered electors | 589 | ||||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +19.6 | |||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +18.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Child Villiers | 259 | 25.4 | −6.2 | |
Conservative | George William Hope | 257 | 25.2 | −3.9 | |
Whig | Ralph Bernal | 254 | 24.9 | +2.0 | |
Whig | William Dougal Christie | 251 | 24.6 | +8.2 | |
Majority | 3 | 0.3 | −5.9 | ||
Turnout | 511 (est) | 85.4 (est) | c. +3.7 | ||
Registered electors | 598 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −5.7 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.5 |
On petition the result was overturned on 4 April 1842 and the opponents, Bernal and Christie, were seated in their place.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Dougal Christie | 274 | 25.1 | +0.5 | |
Whig | William Freestun | 274 | 25.1 | +0.2 | |
Conservative | George Butt | 272 | 24.9 | −0.3 | |
Conservative | Frederick Child Villiers | 271 | 24.8 | −0.6 | |
Majority | 2 | 0.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 546 (est) | 87.3 (est) | +1.9 | ||
Registered electors | 625 | ||||
Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +0.5 | |||
Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +0.3 |
Christie resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Frederick Child Villiers | Unopposed | |||
Conservative gain from Whig |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Butt | 386 | 38.4 | −11.3 | |
Whig | William Freestun | 336 | 33.4 | −16.8 | |
Peelite | Alexander Haldane Oswald [35] | 283 | 28.2 | N/A | |
Turnout | 503 (est) | 74.0 (est) | −13.3 | ||
Registered electors | 679 | ||||
Majority | 50 | 5.0 | N/A | ||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +2.8 | |||
Majority | 53 | 5.2 | +5.0 | ||
Whig hold | Swing | −2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Freestun | 446 | 41.8 | +8.4 | |
Whig | Robert Campbell | 349 | 32.7 | +4.5 | |
Conservative | George Butt | 272 | 25.5 | −12.9 | |
Majority | 77 | 7.2 | +2.0 | ||
Turnout | 534 (est) | 78.3 (est) | +4.3 | ||
Registered electors | 681 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | +7.4 | |||
Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Brooks | 341 | 26.5 | +13.7 | |
Conservative | Arthur Egerton | 340 | 26.4 | +13.6 | |
Liberal | William Freestun | 311 | 24.1 | −17.7 | |
Liberal | Robert Campbell | 297 | 23.0 | −9.7 | |
Majority | 29 | 2.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 645 (est) | 86.2 (est) | +7.9 | ||
Registered electors | 748 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +13.7 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +13.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Brooks | 381 | 47.6 | +21.1 | |
Liberal | Henry Gridley | 378 | 47.2 | +23.1 | |
Conservative | Arthur Egerton | 28 | 3.5 | −22.9 | |
Liberal | Henry Edwards | 14 | 1.7 | −21.3 | |
Turnout | 759 (est) | 83.8 (est) | −2.4 | ||
Registered electors | 906 | ||||
Majority | 3 | 0.4 | −1.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +10.1 | |||
Majority | 350 | 43.7 | N/A | ||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +12.0 |
A late compromise between the Conservatives and Liberals, whereby Mr Brooks and Mr Gridley would be elected, came too late to cancel the election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Henry Edwards | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold |
The 1867 by-election followed the resignation of Henry Gillett Gridley.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles J. T. Hambro | 750 | 39.4 | −11.7 | |
Liberal | Henry Edwards | 701 | 36.8 | −10.4 | |
Liberal | John Joseph Powell | 452 | 23.8 | +22.1 | |
Majority | 49 | 2.6 | +2.2 | ||
Turnout | 952 (est) | 70.8 (est) | −13.0 | ||
Registered electors | 1,343 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −11.7 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | +0.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Henry Edwards | 944 | 49.7 | −10.9 | |
Conservative | Frederick Johnstone | 504 | 26.5 | +6.8 | |
Conservative | Charles J. T. Hambro | 452 | 23.8 | +4.1 | |
Majority | 440 | 23.2 | +10.2 | ||
Turnout | 1,422 (est) | 96.9 (est) | +26.1 | ||
Registered electors | 1,467 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −10.9 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Henry Edwards | 1,156 | 44.2 | +19.3 | |
Conservative | Frederick Johnstone | 807 | 30.8 | −19.5 | |
Liberal | Alexander Coghill Wylie | 653 | 25.0 | +0.1 | |
Turnout | 1,308 (est) | 81.1 (est) | −15.8 | ||
Registered electors | 1,612 | ||||
Majority | 349 | 13.4 | −9.8 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | +14.5 | |||
Majority | 154 | 5.8 | −17.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.8 |
In the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian the constituency of Melcombe in Dorset is the Parliamentary seat for Jack Aubreys father who holds it for the Whigs. On his father's death Jack Aubrey is offered and takes up the seat for the Tories.
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(September 2010) |